Is this a worthwhile pursuit for a fellow in his golden years? Shouldn't I be spending my time on something a little more...well, meaningful or something? Hey, how many more years do I have and how much of that time do I want to spend here, on this blog, about sauce and stuff?
March 17, 2013, well, yes, I'm still buying different brands and types of sauce, though it seems as though the sauces are playing at best a minor part on this blog. Oh, well, what can I say...

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Wednesday, March 13, 2013

What's it Take to Get a Permit to Carry a Concealed Weapon in Virginia?

The short answer is, not much.Two ways. You can take a class of some sort or you can show up with your DD214.For those of you who don't know, a DD214 is a discharge paper given to you when you are, yes, discharged from one of the armed forces.Now, the state of Virginia, without any kind of testing will issue a permit based strictly on a person's DD214. No test of any kind. You don't have to prove you can shoot a gun with any degree of accuracy. You don't have to answer any questions about where you are legally allowed to carry your concealed weapon. Nope, nothing. They don't ask about your weapons' training in the service. Absolutely, nothing. DD214 equals permit.This is what the state of Virginia says...The court shall require proof that the applicant has demonstrated
competence with a handgun and the applicant may demonstrate such
competence by one of the following, but no applicant shall be required
to submit to any additional demonstration of competence:

Completing any hunter education or hunter safety course
approved by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries or a similar
agency of another state;

Completing any National Rifle Association firearms safety or training course;

Completing any firearms safety or training course or class
available to the general public offered by a law-enforcement agency,
junior college, college, or private or public institution or
organization or firearms training school utilizing instructors
certified by the National Rifle Association or the Department of
Criminal Justice Services;

Completing any law-enforcement firearms safety or training
course or class offered for security guards, investigators,
special deputies, or any division or subdivision of law enforcement or
security enforcement;

Presenting evidence of equivalent experience with a firearm
through participation in organized shooting competition or current
military service or proof of an honorable discharge from any branch of
the armed services;

Obtaining or previously having held a license to carry a
firearm in this Commonwealth or a locality thereof, unless such license
has been revoked for cause;

Completing any firearms training or safety course or class,
including an electronic, video, or on-line course, conducted by a
state-certified or National Rifle Association-certified firearms
instructor;

Completing any governmental police agency firearms training
course and qualifying to carry a firearm in the course of normal police
duties; or

Completing any other firearms training which the court deems adequate.

Did you notice that you can do this online?

Routinely police officers, who have some training, don't hit their targets and injure innocent bystanders. So, Virginia, with all of their wisdom will issue a permit to a person who filled out some stuff online and who maybe has only fired a gun once or twice. In fact, the online course taker could obviously have someone sitting beside them while they are taking the test and giving them the answers.But, hey, it's only a permit to carry around a gun...yep, concealed and ready to fire.Who are these people?Well, I don't know, however you can go to some of the gun forums and get a pretty good idea....Frightening....I think most of them are praying that someone tries to break in their house or confronts them in a grocery store."Yeah, I'll fuck 'em up!""Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.""Guns don't kill people, people kill people.""More people are killed by (fill in the blank) than guns.""Don't tell me I can't buy a 100 bullet magazine.""Guns are only a tool."
Yep, these are some of the folks walking around carrying heat.OK, I fess up. I have a permit. Yep, DD214 and fifty bucks and I'm set. Not really sure why I got the permit. Some of it was because I could without doing anything other than going to the court house for a few minutes.Actually, on rare occasions I travel pretty late at night on secondary roads and I just thought it'd be nice to have a gun along. Do I have a gun in my car now? No.When I leave my house do I strap on a gun? No.Actually, I'd feel a little silly strapping on a gun. Also, I do not want to have to make a decision about when to draw a gun and who to shoot.BTW, I was discharged in 1964. Yep, 1964. For all the state of Virginia knows I haven't even looked at a gun since 1964. And, at age 73, they have no idea what my mental state is, how my reflexes are, eye sight or heck, they know nothing about me other than I have an honorable discharge granted in 1964. A heck of a system, hey?Frankly, I would say most likely 99% of the people swaggering around with a gun tucked in their waistband are not competent to draw the gun and fire. But, hey, that's just my opinion.And, as I said in an earlier post, I surely don't want to hangout in the pizza place that gives 15% off.

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How Did This Blog Get Started?

Good question. I have, well...far-too-many blogs. Most are started with some degree of enthusiasm and then dropped like a hot cake. Yep, I'll make a few entries and then abandon them.I've been on a quest, to use that word, to find what-is-for me, the best ever spaghetti sauce. Yes, I know some of you call the "noodle" part of spaghetti pasta; however, I'm just a regular old guy and will continue to use the word spaghetti to mean the noddle part or the meal itself, you know...the spaghetti with the sauce.For years I've been trying different brands and types but never making any notes. So, while making last night's spaghetti I wondered if I'd do better by starting a blog about, yes, spaghetti sauce. Of course, I immediately knew that it would never be just about spaghetti sauce. So, folks, that's how all of this started. I shall see were it goes.